German-French Castle Trail

The premium hiking trail starts in the idyllic resort town of Schönau in the Dahner Felsenland. On a path, it goes steeply up to the mighty and bizarre "Schlüsselfelsen". After a short break, it continues. Passing the rock face of the "Langer Fels", the path now leads up to the ruins of the castle "Wegelnburg". Here, hikers are rewarded with an overwhelming 360-degree view, on clear days reaching as far as the Northern Black Forest. It’s no wonder that "Princess Hirlanda" once called this place home. After about 500 m, the trail crosses the border at the "Kaiser-Wilhelm-Stein" and a few minutes later, the ruins of the castle "Hohenbourg" are reached. Steep stairs lead up to the tower, where there is also a great view. A wind rose with destinations of the near and far surroundings makes orientation easy. From here, two other destinations of the route can also be seen, the castle ruins "Loewenstein" and "Fleckenstein". The Loewenstein, where once a cunning robber knight lived, is within reach and quickly reached. Down the "Felsenpfad" leads to the mighty ruins of the castle "Fleckenstein", the castle of riddles. By the way, the castle's well is said to have been built by the devil. A visit or castle tour is highly recommended. A bistro and a museum at the information center offer an ideal resting place. From here, it goes down into the valley, past the "Fleckensteiner Weiher" pond, and later back up to the hidden castle ruins "Froensbourg". A castle ruin sure to inspire romantics. Through the forest, the path leads to the mysterious "Zigeunerfelsen" and further to the legendary castle ruins "Wasigenstein". Here, a bloody battle is said to have taken place between King Gunther of Worms and his friend Hagen, caused by the princess Hildegunde. After an extensive visit, the trail goes downhill to the castle ruins "Arnsbourg" above the small village of Obersteinbach. Hungry hikers may already smell a "Flammkuchen", an Alsatian specialty. But the hunger cannot yet be satisfied. First, the trail rises again to the castle hill and past the "Wachtfelsen", before going down to Obersteinbach. Through the village and then through the Schlangenbachtal valley, the path is relatively flat before a short but steep ascent follows exactly at the border. At the "top" the reward for the effort awaits: the viewing rock "Bayrischer Windstein". A ladder leads up onto the rock massif, where an overwhelming view of vast forests and the castle ruins "Lutzelhardt" awaits. A place to dream and let your soul dangle! After a long rest, the tour continues on the "Großer Florenberg", "listening to the silence or the voice of nature", until the "Zollstock" is reached. Here, directly at the border where smugglers once roamed, the path leads up to the heights of the border mountain "Maimont", which was the scene of bloody battles during the war. Passing the rocks of the "Steinernes Heer" soon brings you to the rock with the "Peace Cross". It was erected jointly by Americans and Germans after the war as a "monument for peace and friendship". At the same time, the rock is a viewpoint. "From now on, it goes downhill," one could describe the rest of the route. After some time, the hidden castle ruins "Blumenstein", the so-called "Ghost Castle", appear along the path. Past the "Wengelsbacher Hals", the trail leads down into the "Wengelsbachtal" valley with its many fish ponds before finally the houses of Schönau signal the end of the tour.

Text: Peter Zimmermann